The Ballot Box: The Most Overlooked Mission Field for Catholics

Christ sent us to make disciples of all nations — including our own communities. Voting is one of the simplest ways to help the Gospel take root.

(Photo: Lightstock)

5:43 p.m. Mr. Benedict (my dog) and I were in the middle of our evening walk when it hit me: it was election day. I had just over an hour to fill out my ballot and drop it off.

5:44 p.m. I kicked my pace up to a jog. Mr. Benny gnawed at the leash and growled the entire way home (he doesn’t like it when we run).

5:49 p.m. I slung my back door open, whipped out my laptop, researched each candidate and quickly bubbled in my votes.

6:31 p.m. I pulled out of my garage and whipped away to the closest ballot box.

6:52 p.m. I said a quick prayer and dropped off my ballot — eight minutes to spare.

I’ll admit, this November’s election wasn’t as “big” or glamorous as last year’s Trump vs. Harris election. Up here in Loveland, I was simply electing a city mayor, a couple of school district board of education directors and some council members.

I’ll also admit, I’ve never been a politically inclined person. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t even vote during the first two presidential elections that I was old enough to vote for. 

“What?! How could you?!” 

I know, I know. I’ve confessed it, ok? The Lord has washed me clean!

That said, the more convicted I grow in the reality that it’s our job to fulfill the Great Commission (to “go and make disciples of all nations”), the more convicted I grow in the reality that we need to be involved in politics. Heavily. Consistently. And locally.

If we want to reach as many souls as possible with the life-saving message of the Gospel, then we must be engaged in the political arena.

Our national, state and local laws are actually some of the greatest forms of pre-evangelization that we have. Laws have a didactic nature, meaning they don’t only exist to inform people what is legal or not, but they also exist to inform people what is good and true.

Laws cultivate the conscience of a society.

If a state government says abortion is legal, for example, then that state inherently teaches its citizens that abortion is a good to be pursued. 

If a national government says marriage doesn’t exist solely between one man and one woman, then that nation inevitably teaches its citizens that marriage is a human institution, not a divine one.

If enough laws accumulate that run contrary to a Christian worldview, then you have a secular culture before long.

Such is the state of our culture today. Nationally, statewide and locally. Enough laws have been put in place for long enough that the reality of the Gospel has been undermined.

But we’re not a lost cause.

The reverse can happen just as easily. Our government can introduce or reintroduce laws that reflect a Christian worldview. As a result, our government can foster a philosophy of life that serves as fertile ground for the Gospel to take root.

And if this is possible, shouldn’t we, members of the Church that Jesus Christ himself founded, be convicted in helping this take place? Shouldn’t we, those whom Jesus commissioned to spread the Gospel to every corner of the earth, be supremely concerned with setting up the Gospel for success? Shouldn’t we, those who have the fullness of Truth at our disposal, work to ensure that the Catholic narrative (read: the Gospel) is at the core of the social fabric of this great nation?

Instead, I see a growing number of Catholics who are fed up with the scandal and corruption in politics and are opting out of government affairs altogether — as if that will bring about the Great Commission.

Now is not the time to withdraw.

Now is the time to press in!

It’s not that our country’s at stake (though it certainly could be), but that souls are at stake!

We must recognize that our fervor (or lack thereof) in the political realm not only impacts our country’s future status, but the eternal destination of our fellow citizens.

We must, therefore, be a political people to truly be an evangelizing people. And that starts small — with voting for school board directors and municipal office members. The local leaders and decisions we make have a tremendous impact on the national leaders and decisions we make.

Put another way, we can’t have a national impact if we don’t have a local impact.

If you don’t feel comfortable leading a Bible study, that’s understandable. I still think you should try, but it’s definitely stressful organizing people and taking charge of teaching the faith. 

If you don’t know how to accompany another person spiritually, that’s also understandable. I still think you should try, but unless you have experience with FOCUS or another like-minded apostolate, the Church doesn’t have many resources available to help you do that well.

But if you don’t vote when you’re able to, even especially in the tiny local elections, then there’s really no excuse. You’re missing out on perhaps the simplest means of evangelization that we have available to us.

Now, if you missed this year’s elections, don't beat yourself up.

This is not to shame anyone. I, for one, almost missed it as well. I’ve missed many elections, and I’m only just now realizing the importance of political involvement.

But moving forward, you and I can make a concerted effort never to miss another ballot. National, statewide, or local.

This year, only 41.8% of registered voters in Colorado voted in the elections. With approximately 830,000 Catholics in the Centennial State, we could have essentially decided every race if we all turned out. We could have set our state up to begin viewing the world through a Christian lens.

As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes.” 

When we vote, may we do it wholeheartedly. May we vote, not to simply check off our civic duty checklist, but because our hearts long to see our neighbors set free by the Good News of Jesus Christ.